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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26471512">September 15th</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eajwrites/pseuds/eajwrites'>eajwrites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Day6 (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Jaehyungparkian, Light Reading, M/M, happy birthday jae, jhpian, kinda supernatural?, parkian, short fic, this is something i dont write often</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:08:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,214</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26471512</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eajwrites/pseuds/eajwrites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jae was lost. He’s got nowhere to go. And worse, he didn’t even know where he came from.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kang Younghyun | Young K/Park Jaehyung | Jae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>September 15th</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>To Jae, who said he mentally? emotionally? stopped growing at the age of seventeen (he mentioned it on HDIGH). I’m a mess I can’t remember what he said exactly but yeah that’s the gist of it. Happy birthday Jae!</p>
<p>I did a shorter version of this on twitter for a dear friend’s birthday. That one was supported with visuals and was a bit different from this one (a few small details were changed) so you can go check that out too if you like. The link is below.</p>
<p>
  <a href="https://twitter.com/selenophileeaj/status/1292083378447998978">Happy Birthday</a>
</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Where the hell is this?” Jae cursed as he adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose to get a clearer view of his surroundings. He looked around him, but there wasn’t anything noteworthy. Only endless tall bushes and wild red roses flooded his vision. And a familiar lone orange tree standing just before a sharp curve of the road about twenty meters ahead of him.</p>
<p>Majestic and blooming with flowers. </p>
<p>No fruits. Just abundant white flowers. </p>
<p>The peculiarity of it struck him hard that he swore he already took the same fucking road for at least ten times now. </p>
<p>He sighed. </p>
<p>It was getting dark. Looming shadows stretched aimlessly at the command of the setting sun. Training his eyes on the last rays of sunshine, he raised his head and saw the rose-colored sky visibly turn into a purple blanket dappled with dark ominous clouds. Rain. </p>
<p>“Perfect,” he muttered to himself in a hoarse voice and slid his hands in his coat’s pockets. Cold and exhausted, dried spit stuck in his throat made him feel like he swallowed a cup of mud for lunch. He had been walking this road for as long as he could remember that he could feel his feet starting to disintegrate, but still, no sight of a shelter. Not even a rock big enough to sit on. Only fields of green with dots of reds. And puddles of water. </p>
<p>Puddles? </p>
<p>Jae stopped in his tracks and entertained the question inside his head. </p>
<p><em>‘Did it rain?’</em> </p>
<p>He pursed his lips, trying hard, but he couldn’t remember what happened before he walked this road. No vague memories, no blurry events. Nothing. Like an empty void. </p>
<p>
  <em>‘I must have been asleep.’</em>
</p>
<p>He knew deep inside that it couldn’t be just that. He knew that there should be a more serious answer to his questions, but he was too tired to entertain them at the moment. He needed rest. </p>
<p>
  <em>‘There should be a house somewhere out there, right?’ </em>
</p>
<p>He just had to persevere a little more. </p>
<p>And after thirty minutes of walking, his hard work paid off. Ahead of him, about a hundred or two meters away, he saw a lit burner. Finally. A house. With someone living in it too. With renewed vigor, he summoned his remaining energy and quickened his pace. He needed to get there.</p>
<p>He reached his destination before it got too dark, but getting inside proved to be more challenging than he initially thought: a corroded gate swarming with wild vines towered over him. He couldn’t help but think the gate was specially built to raise snakes. So careful not to disturb the very-much-likely nest of snakes (he refused to touch the plant, bless him), he pushed the gate open just enough to let himself in. He just prayed that the creaking noise didn’t anger any dangerous viper in there.</p>
<p>“Hello? Anybody home?” Jae called, and a moment of stillness answered him. </p>
<p>But he’s not someone who gives up until he tried at least a million times, so he ignored the pain in his throat and was about to call once more when the door opened. </p>
<p>A boy clad in a white gown, holding a lit lantern, appeared in front of him. “I thought you weren’t coming anymore. I have been waiting for ages.” </p>
<p>Jae stared at the boy who looked to be of about the same age as him (around seventeen). </p>
<p>Why would he be waiting for him? Was he mistaking him for someone else? Jae didn’t know someone with fox eyes and fiery red hair. With these eye-catching features, he should have recognized his face at the very least. And the strangest thing was that, even though Jae’s sure that he hadn’t seen the boy in his entire life, his presence felt awfully familiar and warm to him.</p>
<p>“Do you know me?” Jae asked.</p>
<p>“Of course I know you, Jae,” the boy smiled and opened the door wider. “Come inside. I know you’re tired and thirsty. I’ll get you something to drink.”</p>
<p>Jae followed. When they reached the living room, he sat down on the sofa without being told while the boy disappeared into one of the doors (Jae figured he went to fetch his drink). </p>
<p>A calendar hanging on the wall got his attention. Red ink encircled on the 15th of September. </p>
<p><em>‘September 15, 2020. Is that the date today?’</em> Jae asked himself as he couldn’t remember the date. And the numbers he was seeing felt odd. </p>
<p>“Drink this,” the boy came back holding a glass of water, pulling Jae’s thoughts away from the calendar and the weird year he saw on it. </p>
<p>With no second thoughts, Jae gladly received it and emptied the glass in just a few gulps. “Thank you. By the way, who are you? Why do you know my name?”</p>
<p>“You’re welcome,” the boy smiled.</p>
<p>Again, there was that familiar warm sensation growing inside of Jae, but he couldn’t put a word on it.</p>
<p>“I’m Brian,” the boy continued, “and to answer your last question, come with me.”</p>
<p>The boy, whose name was Brian, turned on his heels. </p>
<p>Jae bent forward to put the glass on the coffee table and stood up, but by the time he turned to where Brian stood just a split second ago, he wasn’t there anymore.</p>
<p>“Jae!”</p>
<p>Startled, Jae looked up and saw the boy standing at the top landing of the staircase already. “How did you get there so fast?” he asked as he scurried to climb up the stairs.</p>
<p>Brian’s sweet laughter echoed throughout the entire house before Jae saw him open a door behind him and disappeared into it.</p>
<p>“Brian?” Jae called for the boy as he entered the same room not a minute later. He’s not a turtle by any means and he’s kind of athletic even, but the boy was just too fast.</p>
<p>A deafening silence answered him. </p>
<p>The only proof that the boy entered the room was the burning lantern sat on top of the table at the center of the room. </p>
<p>Unlike the rest of the house that Jae saw earlier, the room was full of web and dust. Like...nobody touched the things in there for decades.  </p>
<p>“Brian?” he called again. </p>
<p>But nobody answered him.</p>
<p>He walked towards the lantern so he could pick it up, but a box with intricate carvings next to it caught his attention. ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY!’ in bold capital letters was written on top of the said box. </p>
<p>Out of pure curiosity, Jae felt for the lid and lifted it. In there, he saw a book. An old book. He picked it up. No title was written on the cover so he flipped it, hoping to find the title on the first page, but what he saw surprised him. </p>
<p>Sandwiched in between the cover and the first page was a picture. </p>
<p>A picture of him and the boy named Brian. Jae had his right arm around Brian’s shoulder and the two of them were smiling brightly towards the camera.</p>
<p>He picked it up and inspected the back to see if there’s anything written in there.</p>
<p>In neat handwriting, he saw a set of words that answered all of his questions.</p>
<p>
  <em><br/>September 15, 1920</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Dearest Jae,<br/>Happy 29th birthday. I love you.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> - Brian<br/></em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please read below. You don’t wanna miss it :))<br/>- In the language of flowers, orange blossoms can mean eternal love and roses, timeless romance.<br/>- It is said that wandering souls are always thirsty because of endless traveling.<br/>- The lantern is a symbol of guidance. It pushes away the darkness. When held up, as depicted in the fic (Brian was holding it up by the door), it means ‘lighting the way so that others may see’. And the light itself is shedding purity and warmth of love to its surroundings.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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